Stargazer Lilies
by hUeS -of- h a z e l
Summary: Every stolen glance and gentle word was filled with meaning that both of them were slowly beginning to understand, and eventually come to accept. 50 scenes; Basch & Penelo, taking place anywhere from pregame to ingame to postgame.
1. Sleep

_** Stargazer Lilies .**_

His skin was amber-hued as his chest rose and fell in a rhythm that she unconsciously timed with her own heartbeat and the flickering dance the campfire wove as it burned. She watched him as he slept soundly, tracing the lines of his neck and jaw and nose and scar with her eyes. His hair was tousled in a way that caused a few stray strands to fall around his face and over one of his closed eyes; suddenly the urge to creep over to his bed roll and gently brush those locks of gold away seized her, and Penelo tore her gaze away from him as a wave of bashfulness filled her body with a warmth that had nothing to do with the heat of the fire.


	2. Love

-

_**Stargazer Lilies .**_

-

Breathing deeply, Penelo smiled. "I love the sunrise," she commented blissfully, staring at the horizon as it slowly bled hues of pink and gold light across the sky.

"As do I," was Basch's quiet and honest reply, admiring the way her skin and eyes and hair glowed as dawn painted her softly with radiance.

-


	3. Pain

_**Stargazer Lilies .**_

Throughout their whole journey, Penelo and Basch had both experienced pain in the form of blood-searing poisons and crippling mist and air-humming steel slicing through flesh. Before their journey, both had experienced pain in the form of great sentimental loss and starting anew with nothing but a burning sense of hope and a stubborn ideal of fate to keep them going.

But it's only at the end of their journey—in an aerodome with her taller and wiser and more mature, and him clad within the steel facade that once belonged to his brother—after all their adventures and all their growth was realized, it's the word _goodbye_ that causes both of them the most pain; the longing in their eyes is deep as they stare at one another, wanting more than anything to reach out and state simply how they feel.


	4. Sand

_**Stargazer Lilies .**_

The Phon Coast's bright sun shines hotly above their heads, sending hundreds of luminous sparks glittering across the turquoise surface of the sea. She's off dancing across the shore with Vaan, laughing happily as he sprays her with warm ocean water; he's sitting beneath shade of a nearby palm tree, the cool texture of the sand beneath his fingers as he watches their innocent playfulness with a rare smile of contentment shaping his mouth.


	5. Glass

_**Stargazer Lilies .**_

She's stares, and the image the mirror reflects stares back. Within the glass she sees a large room decorated with gold and velvet and rich wood, screaming of wealth and prosperity that only royalty could possibly possess. A huge chandelier hangs brightly from the high ceiling and impossibly large windows provide a glorious view of the royal city of Rabanastre. However, Penelo isn't focusing too intently on those things as she twirls gracefully before her own picturesque echo, the charms and tassels adorning the dancer's garb she bought specifically for Ashe's coronation glinting with candlelight and chiming softly together as she pivots.

Her eyes and lips are painted subtlety, accentuating the thickness of her lashes and the shape of her pretty hazel-blue eyes and the soft pinkness of her mouth; as she studies herself again and again within the huge mirror, she can't help but ask herself over and over inside her head, '_Will he like it?_'

* * *

**A/N:** Wooo-eeee, it's been a while! I completely forgot I had this fic until my friend Zach gave me back my copy of the game I leant him a year ago . . . Oops.

Hope you like it, anyway! More to come, I'm sure.


	6. Church

_**Stargazer Lilies . **_

Ardently, wondrously, Basch watched the faultless contours of her body melt from one form into the next; outlined by the auric light of dawn, Penelo spun and flowed silently, clutching two ends of a gauzy scarf in either hand. It fluttered lightly in the wake of her dancing, aglow with fresh sunlight, a whimsical extension of the almost divine way she naturally moved.

She leapt lightly and transitioned into a flawless pivot, glittering dew flying from where the tip of her boot corkscrewed into the wet grass. As she turned she finally noticed him watching her, and within his heart something swelled as she stopped moving to call his name in delight.

"Basch!"

Her voice was clear, like a bell, silvery and sweet. It sank into his skin like something tangible, and when she smiled at him his eyes darted away. Terrified that he had shattered the purity of the moment, Basch took a breath, reverently, and bowed before her.

"Please, don't stop," he whispered.


	7. Moonlight

_**Stargazer Lilies . **_

"Hey," Penelo called quietly from next to him. He watched her thoughtful profile, admiring the way the full moon shone upon her back as she stared into the flickering firelight, chin resting on her knees, braids loose and feathers free.

"Yes, Penelo?" Basch answered her just as quietly. It was one of those nights, the kind you didn't want to ruin by speaking too loudly, with the only sound allowed being the crackling song of the fire as it danced. Against it's blazing glow, back bent to the starlit sky, Penelo smiled into a place past everything except the two of them sitting there together.

"Tell me a story," she asked, turning her head so that she could look into his eyes.


End file.
